Canada Safety Council Speak Out About Marijuana and Driving

There is no doubt that being high and driving is dangerous. The Canada Safety Council and Public Safety Canadahave taken the steps to ensure that people do not do so. The council has put out a message reading “Marijuana and Motoring: Green Doesn’t Always Mean Go.” It is possible that you may have seen pictures of accidents that were caused by high drivers. Canada does not want their country end up with such accidents when they also have to deal with drunk driving at the same time.

There are several organizations that have been concerned about safety when the word of recreational marijuana legalization would be soon. This has made many people fear that there would be more drivers driving under the influence of marijuana. Roadside testing for such drivers is also a major challenge for many police officers nationwide.

National Safe Driving Week

In Canada, there is a whole week dedicated to educate the residents about the effects of dangerous driving. This happens from December 1st to 7th. The two organizations are looking to optimize the whole week to try and get their message to the Canadians. It is during the week that the Canadians are reminded that being safe is their responsibility first. The law enforcement officers would only come in when the law has been broken. You are to never driver under the influence of any drug.

The president of Canada Safety Council,Jack Smith, added that it is always dangerous to drive once you have consumed marijuana. Smith further added that the high can be compared to drunk driving. This is because the person does not have the full control over the car and can end up causing accidents. The real question the drivers should ask themselves first is why risk it in the first place.

More impaired drivers

It is not just the organizations that want more measures implemented, but the public has worries of having more impaired drivers on the road. The same statistics are true when compared to reports released by State Farm Insurance research in 2016. The research showed that more than 65 percent of the correspondents interviewed felt there would be more impaired driving with marijuana legalized in Canada.

There were a few who even claimed to have driven while high. Those who admitted driving high claim that they were fine and the high did not impair their driving skills. Depending on the tolerance of a person and the marijuana strain, it is possible to have different effects on a person. It is why some would say they were fine to drive after consuming marijuana. As much as that is the case, you need to have better judgement while driving and that does not happen when you are high.

Effects of marijuana on the driver

It is common to get people who are high claiming to be perfectly able to keep driving. It is the same thing with those who are drunk because of alcohol. The high from consuming marijuana can be complex that what most people tend to think. The marijuana would potentially reduce your reaction time while driving on the road. Having a slower reaction time can mean the difference between a fatal impact and a narrow miss.

The passage of time for the person who is high can feel altered. This can make a driver wait for longer than necessary at a red or green light. It could also make the driver to easily drive through the red light and causing accidents with the other cars allowed to pass.

Sometimes you can find a driver who is high, driving without any caution. This is because of the multiplicative effect of the drugs working on the body. If you cannot have the right judgement while driving, then it is possible that you might make some mistakes.

The effects of marijuana would last as from one to six hours. This is based on the amount you have consumed and the marijuana strain. Some marijuana strains could have high THC levels. When consumed in large doses, the high can be sustained for several hours. You might always as wait for the 6 hours to be over before you can attempt to drive.

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